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Amphibious Encyclopedia · ATVs and work machines

Avtoros Shaman 8x8

The Shaman is an eight-wheeled amphibious all-terrain vehicle built by the Russian company Avtoros, which gave it the name in 2012 and began selling early examples in 2013 [1][3]. All eight wheels are driven and can steer, and wide low-pressure tires spread its weight of about 4.8 tonnes over soft ground [2][3]. It floats on a sealed hull and moves slowly in water by turning its wheels, or a little faster with an optional propeller [2][8].

Red and black eight-wheeled Shaman all-terrain vehicle on a snowy field
A Shaman 8x8 on low-pressure tires. Photo from its maker, Avtoros.Photo: Avtoros, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

History

Avtoros says work on the vehicle began in 2005 with sketches and a specification [1]. A six-wheel chassis prototype followed in 2006 and a six-wheeler with a duralumin body in 2007; Russian Wikipedia names the 2007 machine the ZET [1][8]. In autumn 2008 the company showed an eight-wheel prototype with a composite body at the Moscow motor show and then settled on the 8x8 layout [1]. After winter tests of an aluminum body in Siberia in 2009, it spent 2010 and 2011 on a hydraulic propeller drive, the steering system and preparations for production [1].

An updated vehicle with a new chassis appeared at the 2012 Moscow motor show under the name Shaman [1][3]. Avtoros says sales of the first pre-production vehicles began in 2013, and Top Gear Netherlands also dates deliveries from 2013, while English Wikipedia gives 2014 as the start of production [1][3][9]. According to the maker, output rose in 2015, the first exports followed in 2016, and its factory was enlarged in 2022 and again in 2024 [1]. Autoevolution, describing the factory in 2024, placed it near Moscow [6].

Design

According to Avtoros, the Shaman is 6,300 mm (20 ft 8 in) long and 2,500 mm (8 ft 2 in) wide, weighs 4,800 kg (about 10,580 lb) empty and has 450 mm (17.7 in) of ground clearance [2]. The maker says the width keeps it within Russian road limits [2]. The driver sits in a central seat with room for eight passengers behind, and the quoted payload is up to 1,500 kg (about 3,300 lb) on firm ground or 1,000 kg (about 2,200 lb) on soft ground [2].

Power comes from a 3.0-liter Iveco F1C four-cylinder turbodiesel with a six-speed manual gearbox [2][3][6]. Reported output differs by source and date: Digital Trends in 2017 and Motor Authority in 2018 gave 146 hp, Russian Wikipedia says the engine was turned down from 180 hp to 146 hp for reliability, and the maker's current page lists 197 metric horsepower [2][4][5][8]. Every wheel has its own independent suspension [2]. The hydrostatic steering has three modes: front axles only for road driving, front and rear axles turning in opposite directions for tight turns, and all wheels turning the same way so the vehicle moves sideways at an angle, like a crab [2][8]. The tires are Avtoros's own X-TRIM low-pressure design in size 1200-600x21 [2]. The maker gives a top land speed of 70 km/h (43 mph) [2].

How it swims

The body is sealed like a boat hull, and the maker says its pumps can remove up to 200 liters (53 US gallons) of water a minute [2][6]. Without a propeller the Shaman pushes itself along by turning its wheels; Russian Wikipedia gives about 2 km/h (1.2 mph) and Digital Trends 1.3 mph (2.1 km/h) [5][8]. Motor Authority gave just over 3 mph (5 km/h) in water without saying how the vehicle was equipped [4].

A hydraulically driven propeller is an extra-cost option, which Digital Trends priced at $5,200 in 2017 [1][2][5]. With it, the specification table on the maker's site gives a top water speed of 7 km/h (4.3 mph), although the descriptive text on the same page says up to 5 km/h (3.1 mph) [2]. Digital Trends and autoevolution both reported 4.3 mph (6.9 km/h) with the propeller [5][6]. No independent measurement of the Shaman's water speed was found.

Buyers and uses

Avtoros markets the Shaman for hunting, fishing and travel, with a tourist interior of eight reclining seats or a hunter interior that converts to beds for four [2]. Top Gear Netherlands names hunters, rescue services and expeditions as its intended buyers [3]. Reported prices vary widely by outlet and year: about $200,000 to start in 2017 (Digital Trends), about $150,000 in 2018 (Motor Authority) and $287,955 for the entry version in 2024 (autoevolution) [4][5][6].

Avtoros says that after the Dubai Motor Show in 2019 it signed a contract to supply 12 vehicles to the United Arab Emirates, and that exports to China and the Persian Gulf states began in 2023; these are the maker's statements [1]. At the IDEX 2019 defense exhibition, the UAE-based Streit Group showed a Shaman described as an unarmored amphibious personnel carrier [7]. Russian Wikipedia says UAE police, medical and rescue services use versions with extra cooling and air conditioning, and that an ambulance version, the Shaman-M, was shown at the Army-2020 exhibition [8].

Photos

Front view of a Shaman 8x8 driving through snow with its lights on
A Shaman 8x8 in the snow. Photo from its maker, Avtoros.Photo: Avtoros, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Orange and grey eight-wheeled Shaman parked beside trees
A Shaman 8x8, April 2021.Photo: Alekc2m, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sources

  1. История компании (Company history), Avtoros (maker). avtoros.com/history_company
  2. Вездеход ШАМАН (Shaman all-terrain vehicle), Avtoros (maker). avtoros.com/shaman
  3. Avtoros Shaman, Top Gear Nederland. topgear.nl/avtoros/shaman
  4. Russian off-roader the Avtoros Shaman 8x8 can conquer any terrain (Jeff Glucker), Motor Authority (2018-06-15). www.motorauthority.com/news/1116989_russian-off-roader-the-avtoros-shaman-8x8-can-conquer-any-terrain
  5. This amphibious 8x8 ATV can seat your whole hunting expedition (Bruce Brown), Digital Trends (2017-05-12). digitaltrends.com/cars/wamah-shaman-atv-8x8
  6. Inside the factory that builds the Avtoros Shaman, the eight-wheel Russian contraption (Elena Luchian), autoevolution (2024-03-02). www.autoevolution.com/news/inside-the-factory-that-builds-the-avtoros-shaman-the-eight-wheel-russian-contraption-230186.html
  7. IDEX 2019: Streit Group unveiled Shaman 8x8 high mobility amphibious vehicle, Army Recognition (2019-02-28). www.armyrecognition.com/archives/archives-land-defense/land-defense-2019/idex-2019-streit-group-unveiled-shaman-8x8-high-mobility-amphibious-vehicle
  8. Шаман (вездеход) (Shaman, all-terrain vehicle), Wikipedia (Russian). ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A8%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B0%D0%BD_%28%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%B7%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%85%D0%BE%D0%B4%29
  9. Avtoros Shaman, Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avtoros_Shaman

Last reviewed November 2026. Spotted something to correct or add? Tell us and include a source.

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WaterCar has designed and built amphibious vehicles in Southern California for more than 25 years. We keep this encyclopedia so anyone curious about vehicles that cross between land and water has one place to start, with the sources listed for every fact.

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